Top Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

I believe that these naturally enchanting words sung by Ziggy Marley captivate and spark what I consider to be one of the essential fulfillments of life- truth and honesty to your own self. No matter where your life passes, your perpetual roots must never be denied any truth; the denial of yourself becomes the imprisonment of your own devise, which is a personal deficit that struggles to regain any control. What you see is what you get. Hiding behind illusions is like hiding behind another shadow, which can be very unforgiving and misleading. Take a chance, and make it happen by following your own bold conscience.

Do not fear the clash of all these outer influences which can make you run aground if you don’t learn to fight for your mind. There will be days of which you feel inferior and days of which you feel superior, but the balance will always stand if you just move along. My personal experience has been with the shallowness of ignorant peers that could not climb out of their own close-minded stereotypes, which somehow placed me below their standards. Well who the hell makes those standards? My appearance has somehow registered to endless taunts that all labeled me as “a surfer bro.” Yea I surf, and yea I’m pretty down to earth, but there is something beyond that stereotyped burn out impression. In the beginning of high school, the endless remarks about my “surferish” character were far from accurate. I stood boldly and finally my peers respected that enough to dig further for the truth, and they found a pretty fun, easy-going kid that just wants to soak up every moment he can. There are no lies. I am here to be here and to be true to myself, which I believe is the foundation of any personal fulfillment you are searching for. Don’t give up the ship…

Essay of the Week

On August 28, 1963, Benita Porter went with her mother to attend the March on Washington. It was during Dr. King’s spellbinding message of hope, love, and the universality of mankind that Ms. Porter was inspired by the belief that words—her own words—could arouse passion, change minds, and bring about social change. Click here to read her essay.

What Students Believe

Throughout the school year, young people around the world write statements of belief as a classroom exercise. And thousands of those students have submitted their essays to our series. Click here to read a sampling of what young people believe.